Maybe a picture is not even necessary and everyone knows what I am talking about. It was so bad that I was embarrassed for the city of Madera when I witnessed a visitor to the city, who was probably scared before by the … (train) station in the middle of nowhere, had to go by and witness that. Why will the city build new shopping centers but won’t clean up this or force someone to do it? I think there’s something wrong here.

WEBMASTER’S REPLY: At this time, users cannot post photographs on the Red Line. It is unlikely that will change in immediate future.

Again, there are good and bad people. Most immigrants that I know, and their children, are good hardworking people. However even given the above report, which I personally find to be biased, all I have to do is open my local paper to find the statistics to reflect Madera’s population base.

You chose to leave your country to come to America. But instead of doing it the right way, like thousands of other people, you chose to sneak in like a thief, or put your self in the hands of a Coyote that may or may not charge you a whole lot of money, that may or may not have sex with you or abuse you, or may or may not kill you. Such is your need to come to the United States, because your own country treats your people like dirt.

So I open the paper and find you are not married, in jail for drugs, killing, child abuse, tagging, other gang activities, or not married and have had six or more children so that they can be U.S. born and get free: WIC, social services, food, medical, dental and vision care, 12 years of education, all free. There are in Madera free English classes, for all people.

It should be against the law to tell Americans that we won’t hire you in your own country if you don’t speak a certain language. All of these services are what the U.S. taxpayer pays for.

And once you get caught for being here like a thief, you whine about your lack of rights (and) get sent back to your country… Then once you get back to your own country apply to come here like you should have done in the beginning. The right way. Like thousands of other hard working people. That are proud to have become Americans. No one owes you a free ride.

WEBMASTER’S NOTE: You make many assumptions and generalizations in your comment. But for the record, the most recent study released on the subject — “Crime, Corrections, and California: What Does Immigration Have to Do with It?” by the Public Policy Institute of California (Feb. 2008) — reported that the state’s foreign-born population, including illegal immigrants, are only a sliver of the state’s jail or prison inmates. Although they make up a third of the state’s adults, foreign-born residents are disproportionately less likely to be involved in serious crime than native-born residents. This was reported by the Associated Press and various newspapers.

It should also be noted that as of 2001 the divorce rate in the U.S.A. was 4.1 per 1,000, which allegedly is the highest divorce rate in the western, developed world. Meanwhile the divorce rate in Mexico was 0.48 per 1,000, which was the 7th lowest divorce rate in the world.

But is it any less important? Think about it.

Now thanks to NCLB and Education MONEY tied to TESTING. It is no longer important for our children to pass an 8th grade test to go onto High School. They just need to know how to fill in a scantron sheet, to prove their scores are as high as some other schools where students have more resources and advantages. Makes you wonder if our kids can actually think, or if they can think for themselves? Or be allowed to actually learn real subjects… Or have one creative thought of their own….

Testing is money. Testing is not Teaching folks. NCLB is creating a bunch of fill in the bubble students, and really leaving our future, our students behind. MUSD has their bottom line and it is not your child’s future…. it is all about the money. So they don’t care about the old custom of 8th grade graduation ceremonies.

It is sad to say, but I think it is because many students could not pass the 8th grade test if given today.

Thanks in advance!!

Thomas Meador

WEBMASTER’S NOTE: I was unable to find the Web site either, but hopefully the inventor — who lives here in the Madera area — will eventually read this and come to our rescue with that bit of information.

To begin with, we should by now know by now who was here first unless we just don’t give a darn about history or reality. Second, we really didn’t ask the Indians about where they wanted to live either when we put a $50 bounty on their heads in the 1850s and forced them off the resource-rich coast and foothills to live in reservations in the Central Valley.

And guess where the reservation set aside for the North Fork people was? Yes, pretty much right where the City of Madera and proposed location of the casino is today. It’s one thing if you want to deny other citizens their personal choices of entertainment because of your own moralistic views, but to try to force your skewed view of history on everyone else is preposterous. Those are attitudes and actions we’d expect to see in Iran — not the US.

… You know life is tough at times and if you don’t like it, oh well!

You people who have nothing but negatives to write about us need to seriously get with the program. I’ve said it in the Red Line before, and I will say it to you Mr. Ballot Man, we’re here to stay, so tough cr-p! Maybe you should move far, far away, where the population of a city might be caucasians or whatever it is you are.

You people are old fashioned and ridiculous to complain about something like this. Like I said Mr. Do Something, why don’t you take some action and step it up!

Such violation opens the door to very expensive legal challenges which could drain state coffers for years to come. The bill’s authors may want to look at cheaper ways to regulate the ethical behavior of the attorneys who file such lawsuits. Increasing the State Bar’s budget for regulating unethical attorney behavior would be a less expensive approach.

Bob Segalman, Ph. D.
Sacramento